I found Nemo

I didn't have a whole lot of time on Miyako so I just did a lot of walking. This beach has a natural rock arch and is very beautiful. As you can see the water is crystal clear and the sand was very white and soft.Here's the view from inside the arch, you can just see some of the netting that was covering the roof, I guess to prevent anything falling on the heads of visitors!

I flew back to Naha on Friday afternoon and then took a bus north to Okinawa City. This area is mostly famous for its shopping and its proximity to the American air base. I think I can safely say that I have never seen so many crew cuts in one place.

My reason for visiting Okinawa city was so that I could go scuba diving with an English speaking company. The reefs around the outer islands are reputedly far more beautiful than the one near Okinawa city but as I had never tried scuba before I wanted the reassurance of knowing that I would have no communication difficulties with my instructor. My instructor, Hanako, was Japanese but she had spent many years in England. She was very competent and reassuring. We did some preparatory work in the shallows where she showed me how to recapture the mouthpiece if I should drop it, clear the mask if it filled with water and so on. Then it was time to explore the (unfortunately somewhat murky) depths. I never realised how much there is to remember when scuba diving, breathing, keeping your pressure equalised, body position (it's necessary to keep it flat), taking pictures! It was certainly pretty full on. We saw loads of fish and interesting corals but the highlight had to be seeing some clown fish (as made famous by the movie 'Finding Nemo') like the ones below.After the dive Hanako congratulated me on my breathing and body position, I guess all those years of snorkelling at Somers really paid off.

She dropped me off at the American Village. An area of shops and movie theatres and so forth, which is designed to look like it's in America, hence the name :P. To me it felt more like what Japanese people think America is like but it was interesting to have a wander around. I particularly enjoyed looking through the enormous army surplus store. I guess their proximity to the base gives them access to more equipment than your average shop. You could even buy a parachute, stetcher or a wide range of gas masks! Lots of the toys were very tempting but probably not legal in Australia so I just bought a cloth badge and left it at that.

My final day I spent back in Naha, getting some souvenirs and omiyage (presents for co-workers). This river is right near Kokusai street and was decorated with carp banners in honour of 'Children's Day'.
Something you don't see to often in Japan...
Got one final laugh on my way out of Okinawa. This sign was posted at the entrance of the Naha airport. I was particularly bemused by the second item at number 1...
What have puddings ever done to you!?!